Schoolchildren ignore healthy eating message

A smartcard pilot scheme designed to discover what pupils are eating in school has found that schoolchildren are continuing to choose unhealthy foods despite a drive to hammer home the healthy eating message.

Pupils between the ages of seven and 16 at the school piloting the programme have been using the cards to pay for their school meals, and the information collated from these cards has revealed that the majority of youngsters chose foods that were high in both sugar and fat.

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Researchers from the Institute of Food Research carried out a full electronic audit of the foods eaten, with those foods converted into their nutrient composition.

Despite a strong emphasis on healthy eating at the school, most youngsters over the course of the year generally chose unhealthy options, suggesting that the extra money pledged by the government to improve the quality of school dinners may have little impact.

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It is hoped that the smartcard scheme can help to develop programmes to improve children's diets and tackle the problem of childhood obesity, by monitoring pupils' eating habits.

Project leader Nigel Lambert explained: "Accurate information is necessary to support the government's public health policies. Smartcard technology could provide a practical and accurate solution."

There are currently around one million obese children in the UK, under the age of 16, and obesity in childhood can lead to increased future risks of heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers.

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